Valve cap construction



Oct. 21, 1952 QF 2,614,794

VALVE CAP CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Aug. 23, 1947 IN VEN TOR.

Po b en 6. 1/21/5077 ATTOEJVEYS.

Patented Oct. 21, 1952 VALVE cAr CONSTRUCTION J Robert E. Imhoff,Detroit, Mich.,assignor to Detroit Brass & Malleable Works, Detroit,Mich, a corporation of Michigan Substituted for abandoned applicationSerial No.

770,308, August 23, 1947.

This application April 23,1949, Serial No. 89,349' r 8 Claims. (Cl.251-154) I 7 This invention has to do with valvesandit is concernedparticularly with a valve construction for controlling the flow ofgaseous fuel such as may be used in any kind of gas burning equipment.Of course, the valve may be used .for controlling the flow of any sortof fluid, but for convenience, it may be considered herein as one forcontrolling gas for a gas range or hot plate or the like. 'Thisapplication is a substitute for abandoned application Serial No.770,308filed August 23, 1947.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improvedconstruction and particularly an improved cap construction with the viewof lowering manufacturing costs so that the lower cost may be reflectedin the cost to the ultimate purchaser and user, while at the same time,providing a strong rugged structure which will adequately serve thepurpose for which it is intended. To this end, the construction is suchthat machining operations in the manufacture of the valve are minimizedand the cap itself may be made of sheet or strip material which isapplicable to the valve body by inter-engaging catch devices, asdistinguished from screw threads or other separate attachingdevices,such as screw threaded elements. A further object of the invention is toprovide a cap structure applicable to the valve body in but only oneposition so that it cannot be wrongly assembled to the body, and thusthe cap may serve, and ispreferably constructedtoserve, to provide limitstops for limiting the relative rotary movement of the valve elements. 1

A valve constructed in accordance with the invention is shown in theaccompanyin drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side. elevational view of a valve constructed in accordancewith the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the stem in cross section and takensubstantially on line 2 2... of Fig. 1. l v

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig.2 showing the valve in off position.

Fig. 4 is a partial section view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing thevalve in off position.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of the cap tothe valve body.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the body I of the valve has a threadedextension 2 for attachment to a suitable conduit, the extension havingan inlet passage 3. The body has a portion 4 provided with a suitablejet orifice 5 which constitutes the outlet. The outlet structure 4 and 5is exemplary of any one of several forms of outlet jet constructions.

The body hasa chamber 1 of tapered form,.as shown in. Fig. 3;';for, thereception of a tapered valve. member or plug ll), which seats; againstthe walls'of the chamber. The valve inemb-er l ll has an. inlet port-Hand an axial outletpassage l2. By turning the valve member in the body,the port ll may be broughtinto and outof registerby the inlet passage 3,while the outlet passage I2 is in communication with the; hollow exten:sion 4 and the orifice 5. In Fig. 3-thevalve parts are shown in offposition but it.;will be appreciated that when. port -H registers withinlet passage 3, gas may flow throughthe passage 3, through port il,,through port I2 and out the jet orifice 5 to a suitable gas burner. .Asshown in Fig. 4, the valve, is in ofif position with'the port ll out ofregistry with the passage 3.

The valve member ID is provided with an operating stem 15 whichadvantageously is cut away on one side forming a flat surface l6 and thestem is arranged to receive a suitable operating handle on its end (notshown) by means of which the valve member 10 maybe turned.

The cap WhlChiS generally illustrated at 20, is formed of sheet or stripmetal preferably of a metal having spring characteristics, such as asuitable spring steel. The icap has a bodylpore tion 21 designed to seatagainst the body tor the valve and it has two oppositely disposed wings22 l and 23. These wings extend from the body 2| at substantially rightangles and ,theends thereof. are preferably flared outwardlyas at 24 and2 5. The wing 22 is provided with an aperture 26 and the wing 23 isprovided with an aperture $27 for interengagement with lugs 28 and 29formed integrally on the body of the valve. The lugs and theirrespectiveapertures are formed of dir ferent sizes so that the cap maybe applied only in one position. As shown, the'lug 28 and itscooperating aperture 26 are relatively small while thelug 29 and itscooperating aperture 21 are relatively large. The difference in thesizes are slightly exaggerated in Figs. 2 and 5 for the purpose ofclarity. r

In applying the cap to the body, the capYmay be positioned as shown bythe broken lines in Fig. 5 with the outwardly flared end portions 24 lwith the lug 29 engaging in' the aperture '21 and the lug 28 engaginginthe aperture 26. Thelugs are] preferably. formed with inclinedsurfaces as shown at 30 and 31 so that as the wings 22 and 23 flexinwardly, the walls of the apertures en gage the same and thus draw thebody 2| of the cap tightly against the end of the valve body I. Theangularity at 39 and 31 is preferably within the angle of repose of themetals involved so that there is a positive lock and so that any outwardforce onthe cap does not tend to cam the wings 22 and 23 outwardly in atendency to disengage the lugs.

The body of the cap is provided with an aperture 35 through which thstem 15 extends anda coil spring 36 is disposed in the chamber 1 betweenthe cap and the valve member I to thus hold the tapered valve member onits seat. The aperture 35 is formed so as to leave a segment 39 having astop face 3'! and a stop face 33 for cooperation with the flat surfacel6 of the stem. In Fig. 2, it will be noted that the flat surface I6 ofthe stem engages the stop face 38 of the seg- 'ment. member in onedirection and this may be the "ofF position as shown in Fig. 4. When.the valve member is turned approximately 90 clockwise, as Fig. 2 isviewed, to the on position, the face It of the stem contacts the stopface 31 of the segment. Thus, it is important that the cap be applied tothe body' in only one position to thus properly locate the segment 39,sothat when the assembly is made, the valve will surely operate toproperly align and disalign the port H with the inlet passage 3.

In the making of the cap, it may be formed from the sheet or strip metalby suitable stamping and/or forming dies 'with the aperture 35 cuttherein leaving the segment 39 and with the wings 22 and 23 bent intoproper position rela tive to the body 2|. The apertures 26 and 2'! maybe, formed while the sheet stock is in the flat and then the wings 22and 23 may subsequently-be fashioned angularly relative to the bodyand'bent to form the curved' end portions 34 and 35. After the cap isthus formed from sheet material, it is preferably heat treated to insurethe proper yielding or spring action of the wings 22 and 23'. It will berather obvious how the cap may be removed from the body in the event itis necessary to take the valve apart for any reason, by engaging thecurved end portions 24 and 25- and spreading the wings to'disengage thelugs.

I claim:

p l. A valve construction having a body member and a valve memberrotatably disposed relative to the body member, the valve member havingan operating stem, said members having passages some of which arearranged to be brought into and out of registry by rotary movement ofthe valve member, a pair of" lugs on the body member projecting fromsubstantially opposite sides thereof, a cap comprised of sheet-likemetal having a body part and two oppositely disposed'wings" extendingfrom the body part substantiallyperpendicularly and overlying oppositesides of the body member, the body part having an opening through whichthe operating stem extends, said wings each having an opening thereinengaged respectively with said lugs on the body.

2. A valve construction having a body member with a valve chambertherein and a valve member rotatably positioned in the chamber, saidmembers having passages some of which are arranged to be brought intoand out of registry by the rotary movement of the valve member, saidvalve member having an operating stem which projects from the chamber, apair of lugs on the body member projecting substantially from oppositesides thereof, a cap having a body party This limits the movement of thevalvefor closing the valve chamber of the body member, the body parthaving an opening through which the operating stem extends, said caphaving two oppositely disposed wings extending from the body partsubstantially perpendicularly and overlying opposite sides of thebodymember, said wings each having an aperture therein engagedrespectively with said lugs on the body, and a spring positioned in thechamber acting on the valve member to seat the same in the chamber andreacting against the body part of the cap- 3. A valveconstruction havinga body member with a valve chamber therein and a valve member rotatablypositioned in the chamber, said members having passages some of whichare arranged to beb'rought into and out of registry 'by' the rotarymovement of the valve member,

said valve member having an operating stem which projects from thechamber, a pair of lugs on the body member projecting substantially fromopposite sides thereof, a cap having a body part for closing the valvechamber of: thebody member, the body part having an opening throughwhich the operating stem extends, said cap having twooppositely-disposed wings extending from the body part substantially'perpendicue larly and overlying opposite sides of the body member, saidwings each having an aperture therein engaged respectively with saidlugs on the body, and a spring positioned in the chamber acting on thevalve member to seat the same-in the chamber and reacting against thebody part of the cap, stop elements integrally formed on the cap andface means on the stem for engaging the stop elements for limiting therotary action of the valve member.

4. A valve construction having'a body member and a valve memberrotatably disposed relative to the body member, the valve member havingan operating stem, said members having passages some of which arearranged to be brought into and out of registry by rotary movement of ithe valve member, a pair of lugs on' thebody member projecting fromsubstantially opposite sides thereof, a cap comprised of a single pieceof sheet-like metal having spring characteristics and having a body partand two oppositely disposed wings extending from the body partsubstantially perpendicularly, the body part having an opening throughwhich the operating stem extends, said wings overlying opposite sidesof'the body member, said wings each having an aperture therein engagedrespectively with the lugs on the body.

5. The valve construction as recited in claim 4, characterized in thatthe ends of the wings are flared outwardly and adapted to be pushed overthelugs by being engaged on'the flared ends and to snap into positionwith the apertures fitting over the lugs.

6. The valve construction as recited in claim 4, characterized in thatthe ends of the wings, are flared outwardly and are adapted to snap,over the lugs and further characterized in that surfaces of the lugs aretapered so that when the said apertures engage the tapered surfaces ofthe lugs, the body part of the cap is held against the stituting aclosure cap and a pair of oppositely disposed Wings projecting from thebody part 5 substantially perpendicularly, the body part hav ing anaperture for the said stem, each wing having an opening therein adaptedto engage with its respective lug on the valve body.

8'. A cap for a valve having a valve body and a valve member with anoperating stem, the valve body having a pair of substantially oppositelyextending lugs comprising, a body part of sheetlike metal constituting aclosure cap, and a pair of substantially oppositely disposed wingsprojecting from the body part substantially perpendicularly, the bodypart having an aperture for the said stem, said wings adapted to embraceopposite sides of the valve body and each having an aperture therein forrespective engagement 15 with the lugs on the body.

ROBERT E. IMHOFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,921,779 Roberts Aug. 8, 19331,954,217 Morrow Apr. 10, 1934 10 2,118,232 Roberts May 24, 1938 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 573,781 France of 1924 720,597 France of1932

